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Christman Wins <strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong><br />

The Buffalo News<br />

December 6, 2007<br />

The notion that Sweet Home had an<br />

exceptional line this season got a big boost<br />

Wednesday when two-way standout Nick<br />

Christman was named winner of the fifth annual<br />

<strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong>. The award, sponsored by Lancaster<br />

Elks Lodge No. 1478, recognizes the <strong>to</strong>p lineman<br />

in Western New York.<br />

“I’m really excited because this is a really<br />

big thing and there are a lot of good kids out<br />

there,” said Christman.<br />

Christman was presented the award<br />

John Hickey/Buffalo News<br />

Carl Kuras, co-chairman of the <strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong> executive<br />

committee, joins winner Nick Christman of Sweet Home<br />

during a banquet attended by over 200 at the Lancaster Elks Club on Broadway. The<br />

event’s guest speaker was Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame member Joe Foyle of<br />

Lancaster.<br />

Christman, a 6-foot-2, 285- pound senior, was an offensive guard and<br />

defensive tackle. With Christman dominating on both sides of the ball, Sweet Home<br />

won Section VI’s Class A title finishing with a 10-1 record. The Panthers’ only loss was<br />

in the Far West Regionals <strong>to</strong> Aquinas of Section V. In that game Christman was named<br />

Defensive MVP.<br />

“My goal on defense is <strong>to</strong> run sideline-<strong>to</strong>-sideline on every play and on offensive it’s<br />

<strong>to</strong> knock the kid across from me on his butt. That keeps me going every play,” said<br />

Christman. “You play as hard as you can and never give up.”<br />

The annual winner of the <strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong> is determined by a 51-man committee<br />

of qualified Elks Lodge members, local coaches and former players. During all 11<br />

weeks of the football season, <strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong> scouts attended select games of all 87<br />

teams in Western New York <strong>to</strong> rate and grade players for nominations. An original list<br />

of over 300 lineman was whittled down <strong>to</strong> a <strong>to</strong>p 10.<br />

Carl Kuras, a <strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong> co-chairman, said Christman was the <strong>to</strong>p votegetter<br />

on most ballots.<br />

“The committee felt his tenacity on both sides of the ball was the deciding<br />

fac<strong>to</strong>r,” said Kuras. “He had stamina <strong>to</strong> go both ways. He had a mo<strong>to</strong>r on both sides<br />

of the ball and displayed leadership. Being the MVP on a losing team in the Regionals<br />

is pretty impressive.”<br />

Christman played four seasons on Sweet Home’s varsity team. For the past<br />

two seasons he was a first-team All-Western New York selection.<br />

Previous winners of the award have been Gil Rodriguez (Frontier, 2006),<br />

Jesse Jesonowski (Iroquois, ’05), Jason Weber (Orchard Park, ’04) and John Livings<strong>to</strong>n<br />

(Eden, ’03).<br />

0 40 30<br />

20<br />

10<br />

<strong>Trench</strong> <strong>Trophy</strong> ‘12 ---- 19

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